Posted on 08 April 2011

Before 'Hanna,' Joe Wright was probably best known for his period dramas, and could easily have carved out a comfortable niche buttoning up beautiful actresses like Keira Knightley in too-tight clothing and putting them through the paces of anachronistic romances. But his new film reunites him with his other 'Atonement' star, Saoirse Ronan. This time, though, instead of ruining lives, she simply ends them, playing a pre-teen hitwoman who leaves a trail of bodies in her wake as she races to reunite with her retired-agent father (played by Eric Bana).

Cinematical sat down with Wright as the director discussed creating fairy-tale imagery, chatted about his collaboration with electronic music luminaries the Chemical Brothers and offered some insights into the unspoken and unrevealed stories beneath the film's stylish surface.